DHL announced today that it will roll out a new generation of 1,000 “parcel boxes” across Germanythis year and also expand its network of Packstations to 1,000 by the end of the year.
About 40 parcel boxes, which enable consumers to post their parcels round-the-clock, havebeen successfully tested in the Frankfurt region since autumn 2006. About 1,000 boxes will beinstalled at key sites from September onwards with a Germany-wide network scheduled for mid-2008.They are emptied once a day, six days a week.
DHL also announced that the number of Packstations would be increased from the current 800locations to about 1,000 by the end of this year, covering all cities and towns with a populationof over 100,000. About 600,000 customers are currently registered to use the Packstations.
Customers can not only drop off parcels at these larger machines but also collect them. Theyreceive notification that their parcel has been deposited there, and can also buy postage for oneeuro less than in post offices.
“Our customers expect a service that makes them independent in terms of time,” said UweBrinks, head of the Parcels Germany business. “The nationwide introduction of the parcel boxes andthe expansion of the Packstation network will make it possible for them to reach a parcelcollection or drop-off point within ten minutes in every place in Germany in future.”
The expansion was a further step towards extending DHL’s quality leadership and was a resultof the worldwide First Choice initiative, he added. It would give DHL the largest number of parcelacceptance points in the German market.
